William Booth is my 4 x Great Grandfather, he was christened at Cumberworth St Nicholas, near Huddersfield 23 September 1792 son of John Booth and Charlotte Lockwood.
He married Mary Barrowclough on 3 January 1819 at Kirkburton All Hallows witnesses were JI (?) Booth, John Shaw and Jonathan Barrowclough.
By 1841 he is widowed (Mary died in 1838) and he is living with sons Jabez and William plus married daughter Elizabeth and her husband Seth Shaw (my G x 3 Grandparents, he is described as a Fancy Weaver and living in Lower Cumberworth.
A fancy weaver as the name suggests would be skilled enough to weave patterns in colour. They worked on looms fitted with a Jacquard system.
The purpose of the Jacquard was to bring the selected colour to the surface of the cloth during the weaving process, to produce patterns which the Jacquard slats did by means of programmed pins. The Fancy Weavers were better paid but it seems that they suffered more during financial crises and were involved in industrial action.
In 1846 William Booth marries widow Sarah Crossland (nee Gill) at Kirkburton All Hallows, his occupation is given as weaver (maybe he gave up the fancy work), witnesses at the wedding were William Fitton and Jonathan Gill (Sarah’s brother).
By 1851 William is again widowed and with an addition to his family, son John Gill aged 1 (I think Sarah died in childbirth). This census is confusing as the “ditto” marks imply that he (and most of the street) are bobbin winders. I am not sure if this means his career has gone further downhill.
By the 1861 census William has died, I am not sure when, there are several William Booths in the area that died between 1851 and 1861.
Siblings and niblings 